SB 5116 Washington Senate · 2025-2026 Regular Session

Concerning the immediate use of marriage licenses for medical necessity.

SB 5116 allows couples to use a marriage license immediately for medical emergencies, bypassing the standard 3-day waiting period. It requires a physician's written statement confirming one or both applicants faces imminent death or incapacity risk. This change directly affects individuals in urgent medical situations who need to marry quickly for legal or healthcare purposes, such as accessing spousal benefits or making medical decisions. The bill amends Washington's marriage license law to create this exception while maintaining other requirements like the 60-day validity window.
Bill status in committee 1 of 4 stages cleared
Introduction
Jan 2026
Committee Review
Floor Vote
Governor
Introduced Jan 12, 2026 Last action Jan 12, 2026
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Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions
4
Key actions
1
Committee
1
Jan 12, 2026
Introduced
By resolution, reintroduced and retained in present status.
upper
Feb 17, 2025
Upper · Passed
Public hearing in the Senate Committee on Law & Justice at 10:30 AM.
upper
1 primary · 7 co-sponsors

Sponsors